U.S. patent application number 13/830414 was filed with the patent office on 2014-09-18 for integrated personal hotspot and car charging adapter device.
The applicant listed for this patent is Novatel Wireless, Inc.. Invention is credited to Ian Lockerbie.
Application Number | 20140269649 13/830414 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 51526808 |
Filed Date | 2014-09-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140269649 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lockerbie; Ian |
September 18, 2014 |
INTEGRATED PERSONAL HOTSPOT AND CAR CHARGING ADAPTER DEVICE
Abstract
A personal hotspot and charging adapter device is provided that
integrates aspects of a personal hotspot device and a charging
adapter device, such as that which can be utilized in conjunction
with a power jack, e.g., a cigarette lighter receptacle within a
vehicle or similar power supply. Such a personal hotspot and
charging adapter device is capable of providing connectivity
between a host computing device and a data network, such as the
Internet, via, e.g., a wireless local area network (WLAN)
connection between the host computing device and the personal
hotspot and charging adapter device, and a wireless wide area
network (WWAN) connection between the personal hotspot and charging
adapter device and service provider, where the personal hotspot
aspect of the personal hotspot and charging adapter device may be
powered without a need for extra cabling or inconvenient
installation in the vehicle.
Inventors: |
Lockerbie; Ian; (Calgary,
CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Novatel Wireless, Inc.; |
|
|
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
51526808 |
Appl. No.: |
13/830414 |
Filed: |
March 14, 2013 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
370/338 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04W 84/12 20130101;
H04W 88/16 20130101; H02J 7/00 20130101; H04W 76/16 20180201; H02J
7/0045 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
370/338 |
International
Class: |
H04W 76/02 20060101
H04W076/02 |
Claims
1. An apparatus comprising: a power converter circuit; at least one
processor; and at least one memory including computer program code,
the at least one memory and the computer program code configured
to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform
at least the following: establish, utilizing a first radio module,
a first wireless connection to a base station associated with a
wide area network (WAN); establish, utilizing a second radio
module, a second wireless connection with at least one host
computing device to establish a wireless local area network (WLAN)
between the at least one host computing device and the apparatus;
and provide the at least one host computing device access to a data
network via the WAN, wherein the power converter circuit, the
processor, and the memory are contained with a housing having a
first end and a second end, the first end being configured to be
coupled with a power source for powering at least one of the power
converter circuit, the processor, and the memory.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the power converter circuit is
a switch mode power supply circuit.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the WAN comprises a cellular
network.
4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the WLAN comprises a WiFi
network.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data network comprises the
Internet.
6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the housing further comprises
a light emitting diode.
7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second end of the housing
further comprises a user-accessible data interface.
8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the user-accessible data
interface comprises a universal serial bus (USB) port.
9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the coupling with the power
source comprises inserting the apparatus into a car power
adaptor.
10. A system comprising: at least one host computing device; a base
station associated with a first wireless communications network;
and a personal hotspot device for comprising: a power converter
circuit; a processor; and a memory unit coupled to the processor
and including: computer code for establishing, utilizing a first
radio module, a first wireless connection to the base station
associated with the first wireless communications network; computer
code for establishing, utilizing a second radio module, a second
wireless connection with the at least one host computing device to
establish a wireless local area network (WLAN) between the at least
one host computing device and the personal hotspot device; computer
code for providing the at least one host computing device access to
a data network via the WLAN; and computer code for terminating the
first wireless connection and the second wireless connection when
an ignition system of a vehicle to which the personal hotspot
device is operatively connected, is turned off; wherein, the
personal hotspot device is encapsulated within a housing, the
housing being configured to effectuate power delivery to the
personal hotspot device via a power supply to which the housing
connects.
11. The system of claim 10, wherein the power converter circuit
comprises a switch mode power supply circuit.
12. The system of claim 10, wherein the WAN comprises a cellular
network.
13. The system of claim 10, wherein the WLAN comprises a WiFi
network.
14. The system of claim 10, wherein the data network comprises the
Internet.
15. The system of claim 10, wherein the housing further comprises
at least one electrical contact to for interfacing with the power
supply.
16. The system of claim 10, wherein the housing further comprises a
user-accessible data interface.
17. The system of claim 16, wherein the user-accessible data
interface comprises a universal serial bus (USB) port.
18. The system of claim 10, wherein the memory unit comprises a
removable flash memory unit.
19. The system of claim 10, wherein the power supply comprises a
cigarette lighter receptacle of the vehicle.
20. The system of claim 10, wherein the power supply comprises a
car power adaptor into which the personal hotspot device
encapsulated within the housing is inserted.
21. A system comprising: at least one host computing device; a base
station; and a personal hotspot device for comprising: a power
converter circuit; a processor; and a memory unit coupled to the
processor and including: computer code for establishing, utilizing
a first radio module, a first wireless connection to the base
station; computer code for: establishing, utilizing a second radio
module, a second wireless connection with the at least one host
computing device to establish a first wireless local area network
(WLAN) between the at least one host computing device and the
personal hotspot device; and establishing, utilizing the second
radio module, a third wireless connection with a second WLAN to
access the base station if the second WLAN is available; computer
code for providing the at least one host computing device access to
a data network via one of the first and second WLANs, or via the
WLAN and a wireless wide area network (WWAN) associated with the
base; and computer code for terminating the first wireless
connection and the second wireless connection when an ignition
system of a vehicle to which the personal hotspot device is
operatively connected, is turned off; wherein, the personal hotspot
device is encapsulated within a housing, the housing being
configured to effectuate power delivery to the personal hotspot
device via a power supply to which the housing connects.
22. The system of claim 21, wherein the second WLAN comprises one
of a public local area network (LAN), a home LAN, or a business
LAN.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present application relates generally to portable
communications devices, and more particularly, to an integrated
personal hotspot and charging adapter device.
BACKGROUND
[0002] This section is intended to provide a background or context
to the invention that is recited in the claims. The description
herein may include concepts that could be pursued, but are not
necessarily ones that have been previously conceived or pursued.
Therefore, unless otherwise indicated herein, what is described in
this section is not prior art to the description and claims in this
application and is not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in
this section.
[0003] Various electronic devices, such as compact disc (CD)
players, portable communications devices (e.g., portable phones),
digital audio players and/or frequency modulation (FM) transmitters
for such digital audio players, beverage heating devices, fans,
etc. can often be configured to be powered/operated via a battery
power supply, as well as through some type of alternating current
(AC)/direct current (DC) power outlet. Given the shift to a more
mobile lifestyle, users often leverage the ability to use a power
jack/outlet, e.g., a cigarette lighter receptacle, often found in
vehicles to power such electronic devices. For example, a portable
phone may be connected to a power jack using a car charger
adapter/inverter to allow a user to operate a portable phone
without draining the battery power supply and/or simultaneously
charge the battery power supply.
[0004] FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional system 100 that can
include an electronic device 102 that may be powered via a power
jack of a vehicle, e.g., a cigarette lighter receptacle, for use in
the vehicle. A cable 104, having a car charger adapter 106 at one
end, may be attached to the electronic device 102, while the car
charger adapter 106 may be plugged into a power jack.
[0005] However, systems like the conventional system 100
illustrated in FIG. 1 can result in "unwieldy" configurations,
where extra cabling may be required to effect the requisite
connections between the power jack and electronic device. The use
of such extra cabling can often result in the electronic device
becoming tangled with other components/devices in the confines of a
vehicle, or even elements of the vehicle itself, such as a gear
stick. Further still, there is often a lack of space or area(s) in
which such electronic devices may be stored, resulting in a
cluttered vehicle cabin.
SUMMARY
[0006] Various aspects of examples of the invention are set out in
the claims. According to a first aspect, an apparatus comprises a
power converter circuit, at least one processor, and at least one
memory including computer program code. The memory and the computer
program code are configured with the at least one processor to
cause the apparatus to establish, utilizing a first radio module, a
first wireless connection to a base station associated with a wide
area network (WAN); establish, utilizing a second radio module, a
second wireless connection with at least one host computing device
for a wireless local area network (WLAN); and provide at least one
host computing device access to a data network via the WAN.
Additionally, the apparatus is configured such that the power
converter circuit, the processor, and the memory are contained with
a housing having a first end and a second end, the first end being
configured to be coupled with a power source for powering at least
one of the power converter circuit, the processor, and the
memory.
[0007] According to a second aspect, a system comprises at least
one host computing device, a base station associated with a first
wireless communications network, and a personal hotspot device. The
personal hotspot device comprises a power converter circuit and a
processor. A memory unit is coupled to the processor and includes
computer code for establishing, utilizing a first radio module, a
first wireless connection to a base station associated with a wide
area network (WAN); establishing, utilizing a second radio module,
a second wireless connection with at least one host computing
device for a wireless local area network (WLAN); providing the at
least one host computing device access to a data network via the
WAN; and terminating the first wireless connection and the second
wireless connection when an ignition system of a vehicle to which
the personal hotspot device is operatively connected is turned off.
Additionally, the personal hotspot device is encapsulated within a
housing, the housing being configured to effectuate power delivery
to the personal hotspot device via a power supply to which the
housing connects.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] For a more complete understanding of example embodiments,
reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in
connection with the accompanying drawings in which:
[0009] FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional system for connecting a
personal hotspot device to a power source;
[0010] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a personal hotspot and
charging adapter device in accordance with various embodiments;
[0011] FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of a system
architecture in which the personal hotspot and charging adapter
device of FIG. 2 may be implemented; and
[0012] FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating an example process for
reducing the drain on a battery utilizing the personal hotspot and
charging adapter device of FIG. 2.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] Example embodiments and their potential advantages are
understood by referring to FIGS. 2-4 of the drawings.
[0014] A mobile router or portable/personal hotspot device can be
utilized to allow network access to one or more user/host computing
devices. In this regard, a personal hotspot device can provide
connectivity to the host computing devices through a wireless local
area network (WLAN) protocol, such as Institute for Electrical and
Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 or WiFi protocols. Host
computing devices may include, but are not limited to, for example,
laptops, desktop computers, portable phones, personal digital
assistants (PDAs), smart phones, or any other device capable of
wireless communication. It should be noted that a personal hotspot
device can be configured to support a variety of host computing
devices, such as those previously described, where the number of
host computing devices which can be supported by the personal
hotspot device may vary and may be determined by software, firmware
or the like within the personal hotspot device.
[0015] A personal hotspot device can be configured to communicate
with a service provider through, for example, a cellular base
station associated with a wireless communication network, such as a
wireless wide area network (WWAN), e.g., Third Generation (3G) or
Fourth Generation (4G)/Long Term Evolution (LTE) network. Through
such a wireless communication network, access to a communication
network such as the Internet, or other data network may be
provided. Any of a number of servers may also be accessed by a host
computing device through the personal hotspot device and the
communication network.
[0016] As described previously, electronic devices can be
configured to operate via battery power and/or via connection to a
power outlet, such as a power jack of a vehicle. Being an
electronic device, a personal hotspot device can be configured to
operate similarly, and like the aforementioned electronic devices,
the personal hotspot device can suffer from the limitations of
conventional configurations that rely on some type of wired
connection to a separate power adapter/inverter for power.
[0017] Accordingly, various embodiments of the present disclosure
are directed to an integrated personal hotspot and charging adapter
device that can be used to interface one or more host computing
devices or local area network (LAN) client devices with a WWAN. As
alluded to above, and for example, the WWAN can be configured to
implement one of the 3G protocols, such as EDGE, CDMA2000, or the
Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) protocols, High
Speed Packet Access (HSPA) or HSPA+ protocols, 4G/LTE protocols,
Evolution Data Optimization (EV-DO) rev. A (DOrA), WiMAX, or other
4G protocols. One or more host computing devices may interface with
the personal hotspot device and charging adapted device over, e.g.,
a WLAN, such as a WiFi network, wireless USB network, ultra
wideband network, or a Zigbee network. It should be noted that the
descriptions and embodiments provided herein are not intended to
limit the various embodiments to particular standards or
architectures. Rather, the embodiments are being provided by way of
example only.
[0018] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an example personal hotspot
and charging adapter device 200 that may include a housing 210,
that can have a first end 212 and a second end 214. The first end
212 may be sized and dimensioned to be received in a power jack or
outlet (such as that in, e.g., a vehicle) and may further include
electrical contacts 216 and 218. The electrical contacts 216 and
218 may be configured to receive power from, e.g., a vehicle
battery and transfer it to a power converter circuit, as will be
described in greater detail below.
[0019] The second end 214 of the housing 210 may optionally include
one or more mechanisms for interfacing with the personal hotspot
and charging adapter device 200, such as a universal serial bus
(USB) port 220, a light source 222, etc. That is, a USB plug
connected to a host computing device, or other computing device,
may be inserted into the USB port 220 for configuring/provisioning
the personal hotspot and charging adapter device 200,
downloading/uploading data, etc. The light source 222 may be a
light emitting diode (LED) that can be configured to illuminate
when the personal hotspot and charging adapter device 200 is
connected to a power jack or when the personal hotspot and charging
adapter device 200 is active as a personal hotspot, to signify
charging/powered status, etc.
[0020] It should be noted that the aforementioned mechanisms need
not be limited to USB and/or lighting interfaces, but may include,
e.g., parallel ports, IrDa ports, low voltage serial interfaces, or
other standard or proprietary interfaces. Additionally, the
location of such interfaces need not be limited to the second end
214 of the housing 210, but may be implemented in any desired area
of the housing 210. Further still, the personal hotspot and
charging adapter device 200 may be configured to have more or less
electrical contacts as needed for interfacing with one or more
power supply sources, and may also be configured for "direct
powering" rather than or in addition to charging.
[0021] FIG. 3 illustrates an example system architecture 300 within
which the personal hotspot and charging adapter device 300 can be
implemented, where the personal hotspot and charging adapter device
300 may be an embodiment of the personal hotspot and charging
adapter device 200 illustrated in FIG. 2. As illustrated in FIG. 3,
interior of the personal hotspot and charging adapter device 300
can include a power converter circuit 324, a WAN radio 326, a LAN
radio 328, a controller/processor 330, and a memory unit 332.
[0022] The power converter circuit 324 may receive power from a
power source, such as the aforementioned vehicle battery through
electrical contacts (216 and 218 illustrated in FIG. 2), and step
down the voltage for use within the personal hotspot and charging
adapter device 300. Although a standard car battery can generally
supply 12 volts, the personal hotspot and charging adapter 300 may
only require 3-4 volts for operation. Accordingly, one type of
power converter circuit 324 that can be used for stepping down the
voltage is a switch mode power circuit for efficiently providing a
regulated output voltage. The power converter circuit 324 may also
include thermal, short circuit, and overload protection
capabilities.
[0023] The WAN radio 326 can be configured to allow the personal
hotspot and charging adapter device 300 to access a WAN by
communicating with a base station 350 associated with the WAN
through wireless signals 352 transmitted and received via antenna
354. Wireless signals 352 can be any signals be appropriate for the
communication protocol(s) associated with the WAN radio 326.
[0024] The LAN radio 328 allows the personal hotspot and charging
adapter device 300 to wirelessly communicate/interact with one or
more host computing devices, such as host computing device 360 by
exchanging wireless signals 362 (e.g., Transmission Control
Protocol (TCP)/Internet Protocol (IP) over WiFi) with the host
computing device 360 via antenna 364. Wireless signals 352 and 362
may be the same or different according to the relevant
communication protocol(s) utilized by the WAN and LAN/WAN radio 326
and LAN radio 328.
[0025] When the personal hotspot and charging adapter device 300 is
connected to the power jack of a vehicle in operation, a connection
with the base station 350 can be established and WAN connectivity
may be activated. The personal hotspot and charging adapter device
300 may then be able to route data to/from the one or more host
computing device(s) 360 to the WAN associated with the base station
350. In particular, the personal hotspot and charging adapter
device 300 may be capable of automatically establishing a data
connection, e.g., a Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) connection, with
the base station 350. Thereafter, or substantially simultaneously,
the personal hotspot and charging adapter device 300 may enable LAN
connectivity, thus acting as a wireless LAN access point.
[0026] The one or more host computing device(s) 360 may then access
provided services, such as, e.g., Internet access, by way of the
personal hotspot and charging adapter device 300. It should be
noted that certain authentication/authorization procedures may be
executed before allowing Internet (or other service) access. A user
may complete such authentication/authorization procedures via the
host computing device 360, or through various mechanisms provided
by or between the host computing device 260 and the personal
hotspot and charging adapter device 300.
[0027] It may also be possible for the LAN radio 328 to establish
connectivity with another network, e.g. a public LAN or a home or
business LAN, via the base station 350. In this case, the personal
hotspot and charging adapter device 300 can maintain connectivity
with host computing devices and seamlessly hand data over to a
non-WAN carrier (e.g., the public LAN, home LAN, or business LAN).
This allows for the personal hotspot and charging adapter device
300 to use a lower cost transport to the Internet without impacting
the operation of a host computing device. In this case, there is a
possibility of using the same LAN or using some other
transport.
[0028] The controller/processor 330 may include one or more
processing cores such as a digital signal processing core, a
micro-processing core, math-coprocessors, etc. The memory unit 332
may comprise one or more types of memory, including but not limited
to volatile memory (for storing "transient" data) as well as
non-volatile memory (for storing, e.g., computer program code for
running/operating the controller/processor 330) memory. Examples of
volatile memory include, but are not limited to, Dynamic Random
Access Memory (DRAM) and static random access memory (SRAM).
Examples of non-volatile memory include, but are not limited to,
Programmable ROM (PROM), Erasable PROMs (EPROM), Electrically
erasable PROM (EEPROM), Flash memory, or some combination thereof.
In certain embodiments, some portion or even all of non-volatile
memory, volatile memory, or both can be included with the
controller/processor 330.
[0029] It should be noted that recently, more and more electronic
devices have incorporated the use of some type of flash memory to,
e.g., expand the native memory of such electronic devices. For
example, personal hotspot devices can utilize flash memory in the
form of memory cards such as, e.g., Secure Digital (SD) cards, that
may be insertable and removable by a user. Uses for such SD cards
include storing multimedia content such as music and picture files,
contact information, etc., which allows users of such personal
hotspot devices that may be connected to a host computing device,
e.g., a laptop computer, via, e.g., a USB connection, to utilize a
single/integrated device for communication purposes as well as for
external storage, or even additional functionality implemented in
the SD card.
[0030] Accordingly, users may often wish to access the memory in a
personal hotspot device. Thus, various embodiments of the present
disclosure, as alluded to above, and as will be discussed in
greater detail below, allow a user to easily access the memory unit
332, e.g., an SD card) while the personal hotspot and charging
adapter device 300 is connected to a power jack of a vehicle.
Although a personal hotspot device may be installed in a vehicle,
doing so may result in, e.g., a user not being able to access the
SD card. Hence, configurations in accordance with various
embodiments, such as those described herein allow for easy access
to memory, while still having a "neat"/uncluttered implementation
of the personal hotspot and charging adapter device 300.
[0031] The controller/processor 330 may further serve as a
processing backend for both of the WAN radio 326 and the LAN radio
328. Alternatively, separate processing circuitry (not shown) may
be included for each of the LAN functionality and the WAN
functionality, such that LAN/WAN radio modules/circuitry can be
integrated into/as part of the controller/processor 330.
Instructions stored in the memory unit 332 may be used by the
controller/processor 330 to control the operation of the personal
hotspot and charging adapter device 300, which can include
operation of the WAN radio 326 and the LAN radio 328, as well as
for bridging communications between the base station 350 and the
one or more host computing device(s) 360, and configuring the
personal hotspot and charging adapter device 300.
[0032] For instance, the memory unit 332 may contain instructions
for a process to reduce the drain on a vehicle battery from the
personal hotspot and charging adapter device 300, as illustrated in
the flowchart of FIG. 4. The process 400 may begin when the power
converter circuit 324 receives power from the vehicle battery
through the electrical contacts 216 and 218 (400). An on-board
diagnostic system of the vehicle may then be queried to determine
the status of the ignition (402). If the ignition status suggests
that the ignition of the vehicle is "ON," the personal hotspot and
charging adapter device 300 can establish a WAN connection between
the personal hotspot and charging adapter device 300 and a WAN base
station 350 (406), and a LAN connection between the personal
hotspot and charging adapter device 300 and at least one host
computing device 360 (408). While the WAN and LAN connections are
operating, the process 400 can constantly query the aforementioned
on-board diagnostic system to determine whether the ignition is
still operating (402). When the ignition status suggests that the
ignition is "OFF," the process 400 may terminate the WAN connection
(410). Additionally, the LAN connection may also be terminated
(412), thereby shutting down the personal hotspot capabilities of
the personal hotspot and charging adapter device 300. In cases
where the ignition is never turned "ON," the process 400 need not
establish either the WAN connection or the LAN connection with the
personal hotspot and charging adapter device 300. The process 400
may further be configured so that the personal hotspot capabilities
of the personal hotspot and charging adapter device 300 terminate
as soon as the ignition is turned off or when the ignition has been
off for an extended period of time. Thus, another advantage of the
process 400 is realized by reducing the amount of data transfer
between the personal hotspot and charging adapter device 300 and,
e.g., the base station 350. It should be noted that personal
hotspot and charging adapter device 300 may be battery-powered
and/or capable of being operated directly via a power supply, such
as the vehicle battery allowing, for, e.g., seamless operation
between transitioning from a home environment to a vehicle
environment, for example.
[0033] Returning to FIG. 3, and further still, the memory unit 332
may be configured with instructions for operating the LED circuit
334. For instance, the memory unit 332 may direct the LED circuit
334 to illuminate an LED (e.g., LED 222 of FIG. 2) when the
personal hotspot and charging adapter device 300 is connected to a
power jack, operating as a personal hotspot, etc.
[0034] The personal hotspot and charging adapter device 300 may
also include a USB interface 336 and a fan 338. The USB interface
336 may include any components needed to connect a USB plug to the
device personal hotspot and charging adapter device 300 for
interaction with, e.g., the host computing device 360, as
previously alluded to. The fan 338 may be used to cool/dissipate
heat from the electronics/circuitry/components within the personal
hotspot and charging adapter device 300 because vehicles can
quickly become warm, causing the electronics/circuitry/components
to overheat, or from heat generated by the personal hotspot and
charging adapter device 300 itself.
[0035] It should be noted that FIG. 3 illustrates various
components, elements, and/or modules that may comprise a personal
hotspot and charging adapter device 300 in accordance with one or
more embodiments. However, it should be understood that more or
less components, elements, and/or modules can be included. That is,
the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3 is not intended to
exhaustively show all components, but rather is provided by way of
example to illustrate certain components in relation to the systems
and methods described herein. Moreover, such components, elements,
and/or modules may be implemented via multiple components such as
multiple integrated circuits, discrete device, or both, and can be
packaged in a single package or in multiple packages.
[0036] Various embodiments of the present invention may be
implemented in a system having multiple host computing devices
and/or personal hotspot devices, such as a personal hotspot and
charging adapter device configured in accordance with various
embodiments that can communicate through one or more networks. The
system may comprise any combination of wired or wireless networks
such as a mobile telephone network, a WLAN, a Bluetooth personal
area network, an Ethernet LAN, a WAN, the Internet, etc. It should
be noted that such personal hotspot and charging adapter devices
may be utilized, not only in vehicles, but in any other
situation/location/environment where it might be advantageous to
utilize an apparatus having the aforementioned integrate personal
hotspot and charging adapter configuration/capabilities.
Additionally, and although various embodiments have been described
herein within the context of utilizing a vehicle power jack,
various embodiments may be adapted to operate using other types of
power sources.
[0037] As discussed above, various embodiments contemplate
communication capabilities over a variety of
transmission/communication technologies and/or protocols,
including, but not limited to, Code Division Multiple Access
(CDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Universal
Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Time Division Multiple
Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), TCP/IP,
Short Messaging Service (SMS), Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS),
e-mail, Instant Messaging Service (IMS), Bluetooth, IEEE 802.11,
Evolution-Data Optimized/Only (EVDO), Worldwide Interoperability
for Microwave Access (WiMAX), etc.
[0038] In addition to the components/elements described above, an
electronic device in accordance with various embodiments may
further include a display, a keypad for input, a microphone, an
ear-piece, a battery, and one or more antennas. The device may
further include radio interface circuitry, codec circuitry, a
controller/CPU/processor and a memory.
[0039] Various embodiments described herein are described in the
general context of method steps or processes, which may be
implemented in one embodiment by a software program product or
component, embodied in a machine-readable medium, including
executable instructions, such as program code, executed by entities
in networked environments. Generally, program modules may include
routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that
perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data
types. Executable instructions, associated data structures, and
program modules represent examples of program code for executing
steps of the methods disclosed herein. The particular sequence of
such executable instructions or associated data structures
represents examples of corresponding acts for implementing the
functions described in such steps or processes.
[0040] Software implementations of various embodiments can be
accomplished with standard programming techniques with rule-based
logic and other logic to accomplish various database searching
steps or processes, correlation steps or processes, comparison
steps or processes and decision steps or processes.
[0041] The foregoing description of various embodiments have been
presented for purposes of illustration and description. The
foregoing description is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit
embodiments of the present disclosure to the precise form
disclosed, and modifications and variations are possible in light
of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of various
embodiments of the present invention. The embodiments discussed
herein were chosen and described in order to explain the principles
and the nature of various embodiments of the present invention and
its practical application to enable one skilled in the art to
utilize the various embodiments and with various modifications as
are suited to the particular use contemplated. The features of the
embodiments described herein may be combined in all possible
combinations of methods, apparatus, modules, systems, and computer
program products.
[0042] If desired, the different functions discussed herein may be
performed in a different order and/or concurrently with each other.
Furthermore, if desired, one or more of the above-described
functions may be optional or may be combined.
[0043] Although various aspects of the present disclosure are set
out in the independent claims, other aspects of the invention
comprise other combinations of features from the described
embodiments and/or the dependent claims with the features of the
independent claims, and not solely the combinations explicitly set
out in the claims.
[0044] It is also noted herein that while the above describes
example embodiments of the present disclosure, these descriptions
should not be viewed in a limiting sense. Rather, there are several
variations and modifications which may be made without departing
from the scope of the present disclosure as defined in the appended
claims.
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